Running Home to You (The Running Series) (48 page)

“Adam has a file with your name on it.  It was in his office.”  I know I’m leaving out details.  I just don’t want to overwhelm him with too much information at once.  “It had copies of contracts, receipts for security systems, and copies of CT scans.  I found these on the bottom of the pile.”  I look at him, his face contorted and confused.

Evan pulls out his cell phone and looks up details about Anadrol.  After he reads a little, he pulls up images to inspect.  “Holy crap, Juliette.  See this?”  He shows me a picture of green tablets.  “Those octagon shaped pills with the line down the middle?  I’ve taken them.  They told me it was Ginseng, some kind of herbal supplement.  They lied to me.”  He takes a deep breath and swallows hard.  “Adam lied.”

I take his hands in mine and squeeze, “I’m so sorry, Evan.  I’m so sorry.  I wish it wasn’t true.”

“It’s all right here, Juliette.  I can’t pretend this didn’t happen anymore.  My name, Adam’s address, and a prescription for pills I know I’ve been given and lied to about.”  Evan gets up and begins to pace around the room.

“So what do we do?” I ask, my eyes wide and fearful of what he may choose to do next.

“Well, all of this is pretty damning, but I need to hear it from him.  I’m calling Adam to come over.  Right now.”  He grabs his phone back and calls Adam, asking him to come over immediately.  Adam must have asked him what’s going on because Evan tells him, “I’ll explain when you get here.”  They talk for a moment more, and Evan ends the call.  He walks over to the liquor cabinet and rustles through it, looking for something strong, no doubt.  He stands up with a bottle of Bourbon.  He pours a shot in a short glass and downs it, shaking off the shock of the strong liquor. 

Panic sets in.  Adam is on his way.  I’m going to have to explain how I found the file.  I can’t lie.  But it’s going to come up, I’m certain of that.  “Evan, I have more to tell you, before Adam gets here.”  I look him right in the eyes and tell him the truth, “Remember when I told you I was snooping in Adam’s house?”

“I do, what about it?” he asks, obviously on edge.

“I went through the filing cabinet in his office.  He has files on everybody, you, Averee, Laci Keilani, and half the team.”  I pause for a moment to try to gauge his reaction, but his expression does not change.  “Are you mad?”

“About the files?  No.  I would expect Adam to keep excellent records on everything.”

“No, not that.  Are you mad at me for going through Adam’s private files?  The minute you show him the invoices, he’s going to know where they came from.”

Evan opens up his arm for me to slip in beside him.  He kisses me on the head and moves a stray hair away from my brow.  “No baby, I’m not mad.  You were right to suspect him.  I’ll keep you out of it.  This is about him and what he’s done.  He’s the one who has to explain himself, not me, and not you.  We’re a team, Juliette.  It’s you and me against the world.”

I place a light kiss on his lips, “I like the sound of that.”  Evan eagerly returns my affection, pulling me closer.  His tongue flashes over mine as his hands grasp my backside, giving a gentle squeeze.  Our intimate moment is interrupted when Adam comes walking through the door with Emmy trotting merrily behind him. 

“Hey, guys!” Emmy announces as they enter the kitchen, chuckling when she sees us.  “Sorry to interrupt.” 

“Well, we’re here.  What’s so urgent that couldn’t wait until morning?”  Adam puts his arm around Emmy and kisses her sweetly on the forehead.  “We were on our way home, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to make this quick.”

“This shouldn’t take too long,” Evan responds dryly.  “Let’s go sit in the living room.  I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Adam eyes Evan cautiously, but follows him into the other room.  Dread bubbles in my stomach.  I am feeling physically ill from all of this.  I remain frozen in place, wishing to stay as far away from the confrontation as I can.

“Juliette, come join us, please.  This involves you, too.”  Grudgingly, I join Evan beside him on the couch.  Evan places a protective hand on my knee, reminding me that we are a team.

“Mac, something’s obviously wrong.  Tell me what it is and I’ll take care of it.”  Adam sits back on the couch, puts an arm around Emmy, and crosses one leg.  He really has no idea.

“You fix things, right?  You see things that need fixing and you find a way to make it right.  Like when I almost got arrested for assault, you made that go away, didn’t you?”  Evan’s voice is flat and it’s clear that he didn’t call Adam here just to reminisce.

“You know I did.  You asked for my help, and you got it.  What’s going on?  What happened now?” Adam asks confidently.

“And when that greedy little coed tried to bleed me dry back in Houston, you found a way to get her to back off.”  Evan has an accusatory tone that’s hard to mistake.

“I’m sorry.  Did I miss something?” Adam asks, frustrated and completely perplexed.  “Why the third degree?  Did I do something wrong?”

“Is there anything else you’ve done to ‘help’ that I should know about?” Evan challenges.

“I’ve done more things to help you and your career than you’ll ever fully know about. Let’s stop this cat and mouse shit.  What, exactly, are you accusing me of, Mac?” Adam retorts.

Emmy senses the growing tension and tries to break the mood, “Honey, I don’t think Evan is accusing you of anything.”  She’s rubbing his arm, trying to get him to calm.  “Isn’t that right, Evan?”

“Actually, Emmy, I’d like to hear from Adam about how he fixed things after my hand injury.  See, I had a prognosis that wasn’t very good.  I had a few setbacks in my recovery.  But all of a sudden, the muscles and tissue growth in my injured hand exploded.  I was released to play in half the time they predicted.  How is that possible?”

Adam leans forward, leaning his elbows on his knees.  “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”

“I’m asking questions I already know the answers to.  But I want to hear it from you.  I think it’s time to pull back the curtains and see for once how the wizard works his magic.”

“We made a deal a long time ago, Mac.  You got to screw around, behave recklessly, and live without restraint, and I cleaned up after you.  Taking off like you did with Averee is no different.  You knew she was dangerous.  You knew she was armed, and yet you left with her.  What the hell did you think was going to happen?  I did what I always do; I fixed another one of your messes.  You should be thanking me, not interrogating me.” 

“Thanking you?  Seriously?  For what?” Evan snarls.

“You’re starting quarterback for the New Jersey Sentinels, in case you forgot.  I got you back on the field better than you were before.  If it wasn’t for me constantly cleaning up after you and erasing your mistakes, you’d be teaching Physical Education at some hick high school telling teenagers pathetic stories about how you played in the NFL for a season back in ‘09.”  Adam’s face is snarling with anger.

“I didn’t realize that’s how you felt, Adam.  It’s good we’re getting everything out in the open.  So tell me, how did you do it this time?  If I’m going to thank you, I want to know what I’m thanking you for.” Evan barks back.

“You said you already know the answer, so why don’t you tell me,” Adam snaps snidely.

Evan gives my knee a supportive squeeze.  Here goes.

“During my little break from practice a few weeks ago, I had some private testing done.  Imagine my shock when it came back positive for steroids.”  Emmy gasps in shock.  “Thank you, Emmy.  That’s exactly how I felt.  But once I got over the initial surprise, I thought long and hard about how this may have happened.  Who has the kind of connections that could get a doctor to prescribe prohibited drugs to an NFL player?  Who can get the team trainer to add an extra supplement to my daily regimen?  Who seems to know when it’s safe to take a drug-screening test?  Who has the most to gain monetarily from my recovery?”

“And this is the thanks I get?  I found you the best doctors, the best therapists, and the best trainers.  With my help, you’re stronger than ever, faster than ever, and better than you were before.”  Adam stands up, takes Emmy by the hand and takes a few steps towards the door.  “Everything I did was to make you better and you damn well know it.”

“Better?” Evan howls.  “You call what I did to Juliette making me better?  I was a monster, Adam.  You fucking did that to me, my
friend
.  How could you do it?”

Adam stops and turns to look at Evan.  “When I saw what it was doing to you, I stopped it immediately.  Katz told me what to watch out for and I did.  I stuck close by your side and made sure things didn’t get too far out of control.  When you lost it with Ryker, who was there to stop you?  Me, that’s who.  When you got piss drunk and wanted to drive to see Jette, who took your keys away?  Me.”

“And that’s why I won’t be pressing charges, but your ass belongs in jail, Adam.  You went too far, and you know it.”  Evan’s voice is calming as he speaks.  I can tell his temper is changing from angry to hurt.

Emmy grabs a hold of Adam’s arm.  “Come on, Adam, let’s go,” she begs.  “You’re both upset.  Things will be better in the morning.”

“Just a minute,” Adam tells her, gently peeling her off his arm.  “You may be able to fool these two, but don’t try to pull that crap with me, Mac.  Keeping your mouth shut isn’t for my benefit, it’s for yours.  The last thing you need is for word of this to get out.  You’ll lose your lucrative spokesperson contracts, your starting position, and your own reputation.” 

Evan is standing now, too.  He walks over to the kitchen counter, grabs Adam’s house keys and throws them at him.  “These belong to you.  I don’t want them anymore.”  He grabs the invoices off the coffee table and throws them in his face.  “Take all of your crap and get the hell out of here.  Keep your nose out of my shit from now on.  We’re done.”

Adam bends down to pick up the papers and the keys.  He furrows his eyebrows as he reads the invoices.  “These,” he waves them in the air, “where did you get them?”

Evan takes a few steps closer to Adam, nearly closing the gap between them.  “None of your fucking business.  Take them and get the hell out, Adam.  I’m serious.”

Adam is not backing down.  He takes a step closer to Evan, openly challenging him.  “These papers were in my office, my home office, Mac.  You didn’t have to break into my house to find it.  If you asked, I would have given them to you.”

Fearful of what might happen if I don’t intervene, I immediately jump to my feet.  “It wasn’t Evan, it was me.”

Emmy whispers in disbelief, “Jette?”

“I’m sorry.  When I stopped by the house today to get your glasses Emmy, I ... found it.”  I still feel badly.

Adam swings around to face me and bites back, “Found it?  No way.  I know exactly where they were.  You broke into my office and went through my files, didn’t you?” 

I bite my lip and nod, whispering, “Yes.”

“Now I get it.  It all makes sense now,” Adam angrily replies.  “It’s not you, it’s her,” he says to Evan, rolling his eyes and sniggering.  “You’re whipped.  I never thought I would live to see the day.  Evan ‘Big Mac’ McGuire is pussy-whipped.” 

“Watch your fucking mouth.  That’s my fiancée you’re talking about,” Evan warns.  “You brought this on yourself.  I’m ending our contract immediately.  You no longer work for me.  You no longer advise me.  It’s time for you to move on.”

“You can’t fire me, you need me.  We’ve been a team since college.  Don’t let this woman come between us.  She has been in your life for exactly five minutes.  I knew the minute she showed up that she was going to complicate things.  I warned you, but you didn’t listen.  As usual, you allowed your dick to do the thinking for you.” 

That’s when the unthinkable happens.  Evan moves so quickly, I don’t think there was any way for Adam to avoid it.  Evan punches Adam square in the face.  I hear a crunch when his fist connects with Adam’s nose.  He must have broken it.  The blood pours from his nose.

Emmy and I race to the kitchen to find a rag.  I hand her one and she runs to Adam with it, holding it up against his bleeding nose.  Together, they head for the front door.

Evan calls to Adam as they are leaving.  “Keep the rag.  Consider it your severance package.  I mean it, Adam, stay the fuck away from me at work.”  They leave and I close the door behind them, locking it.  I do not want a repeat performance.

When I find Evan, he’s frantically pacing the room.  I pull out the bottle of Bourbon he opened earlier, and pour each of us a glass.  Silently, I hand it to him.  He takes it, downs it, and smashes it against the stone fireplace.  Glass flies and Maddy runs away, hiding in the bedroom.  “God damn it!” Evan growls.

Still not saying a word, he retreats upstairs to his gym while I stay behind to clean up.  He turns on the music so loudly, he cannot hear me slink upstairs to check on him.  He’s taking out his aggression on the punching bag, venting his anger towards something that cannot argue or hit back.  I tiptoe back out, leaving Evan to work this out in his own way.

E
arly the next morning, Evan’s alarm wakes us from a fitful sleep.  He tossed and turned all night, keeping me awake as well.  The restaurant is closed today, but I decide to get up early with Evan anyway.  Last night was difficult in so many ways.  My heart breaks just thinking about it.  How will they handle working together?  Everyone knows how close he and Adam were.  Suppose people start asking questions?  I imagine these are the things that kept Evan awake last night.